Archeologists' Discovery May be King Arthur's Round Table

Archeologists believe they really may have found King Arthur's Round table in Chester. It's a 1000 seat amphitheatre and a wooden memorial to Christian martyrs. The monk Gildas wrote of Arthur, the City of Legions, and the martyrs' shrine.




King Arthur's Round Table in Chester
photo King Arthur's Round Table

p.s. Sorry, got busy and we have another book due in at the publishers. I fell off the wagon writing this blog, but this news seem pretty cool...

Revealing the Parthenon's True Colors

Using a very sensitive technique, archeologists have been able to find traces of residual paint on figures within the Parthenon, like Egyptian Blue on the belt of Poseidon.


Parthenon's hidden color

Is the Cave in Ancient Rome the Wolf Den of Romulus and Remus?

While Emperor Augustus' palace on Palatine Hill was undergoing restorations, archeologist discovered a underground grotto believed to be worshiped as the site where a wolf nursed Romulus and Remus - the Lupercale.

Not all archeologists agree, but it is quite a find as the area is covered with mosaics. So far it is too structurally fragile to enter, but archeologists are exploring it the best they can with endoscopes and laser scanners. For more a few more pictures, check out this article at BBC News

The cave of Romulus and Remus?

In Search of Historical Troy

The real story of the discovery of what some archaeologists believe may be Homer's Troy is like an adventure story itself.

As a boy, Heinrich Schliemann became fascinated by his father's reading of the Iliad, so as soon as he was old enough, he set out to discover the lost city of Troy. Despite no formal archaeological training himself (he had only been on one dig before), he managed to excavate the site Hissarlik that some believe today could be the ancient city of Troy. To some archaeologists, he was huckster who was more interested in proving he had found Troy than assessing whether he had; nevertheless, he made some of the greatest finds from Antiquity, and today Hissarlik is the site of Troy VI, the best known candidate site for Troy. Of note, Schliemann would also find remarkable relics at Mycenae including the "Agamemnon's mask" at right. To Schliemann's credit, his documentation and logging of archaeological finds improved over the twenty years of his life's work.

Some archeologists believe Troy VI is too well fortified to be the Troy of Homer's Iliad, but dating suggests that Troy VI was at least be a city contemporary to the time of Homer's writing.

If you are tempted to see whether any recent Hollywood treatment of the Trojan War is worthwhile, check out Troy's Fallen! for the Archeology Magazine's mournful description of what that reviewer calls a "chronological train wreck." I think we're better off reading a Classic Comic of The Iliad.

This past week we got a board game called Hector and Achilles and it's really fun. We kept getting confused about the names, cities, and events in the Iliad, so this could both help with the people and places, and kick our regular card games up a notch. It's amazing how quickly I got used to cringing when I saw Achilles appear for the Achaens!


In Search of the Trojan War: Greek Art and Archeology
Virtual Reconstructions of Troy
Evidence from Homer about the Site of Troy
Heinrich Schliemann: The "Father" of Modern Archeology
Mask of Agamemnon
Reconstruction of Troy